Sustainable Estate Management of Plantation and Local Economic Strengthening Arman Universitas Trilogi, Duren Kalibata Street No. 1, Indonesia Keywords: Management, Plantation, Sustainable, Local Economy. Abstract: The use of oil palm plantations has increased tremendously in 2012-2016. Unfortunately, there are still many lands that have not been managed sustainably. Furthermore, economic influences have an effect on increasing the area of oil palm cultivation by local people. The aims of this study are: (1) To describe the use of oil palm plantations and (2) To examine the use of plantations to strengthen the local economy. This research uses qualitative method through in-depth interview approach and questionnaire. The results showed that the utilization of plantations has not been done sustainably. Land clearing often begins by burning the land without considering the environmental and economic impacts of health. This is done because of economic and time motives. Land clearing by burning will speed up the process of land use and management while reducing economic costs. Furthermore, land burning is often on peat so as to provide greater economic, environmental and health effects. On the other hand, land use for plantations is a community effort to generate income while strengthening the local economy. 1 INTRODUCTION Unfortunately, agricultural cultivation activities, especially in land management are often This study aims to (1) describe the use of plantations unsustainable and sustainable. One example is the and (2) examine the use of plantations to strengthen management of peat lands that are not sustainable the local economy. The development and needs of and do not follow the rules of the environment. In the larger plantations become one of the things 2015, the burned area reached 167,691 hectares, happening in West Kalimantan. Many people are with burnt peat area is 74.858 hectares. Furthermore, hoping and relying on plantation land to earn income in 2016, the area of burnt peat is 600 hectares. The and strengthen the local economy. This is the factor impact of the fire caused many people affected by that causes the agricultural sector into a strategic one Acute Gastrointestinal Infection disease (BRG in West Kalimantan. Kontigensi Plan, 2017). The agricultural sector (including plantations, Currently, the area of exploitation and cultivation forestry and fishery) is the largest sector to absorb of oil palm plantations is very wide. The cultivated labor. Approximately 1.11 million or equivalent to area is 1.05 million Ha by large plantations and 48.63% of the total workforce relies on the sector as 407.41 thousand hectares by smallholdings (BPS, a source of income. On the other hand the number of 2017). This shows that the utilization of acreage for poor people ranged from 7.87% (381.35 thousand), oil palm plantations in West Kalimantan is vast. while the number of unemployed was 100,935 However, the utilization and management of oil thousand and employed as housewives of 637,486 palm is still largely done in an unsustainable and people (equivalent to 60.29% from 1.05 million sustainable, especially in the peat area. Land instead of labor force (BPS, 2017). As noted, the clearing is often done by burning land. This is done number of unemployment is relatively small which for cost and time reasons but does not consider the is influenced by the absorptive capacity of ecosystem, economic and health impacts. agricultural labor. It indicates that the agricultural Tacooni (2003) explains that the impact of the sector has a strategic role to economic development, damage is caused by the management, development especially to overcome unemployment and poverty. and utilization of peat lands that pay less attention to ecosystems and sustainability. Some of the impacts 436 Arman, . Sustainable Estate Management of Plantation and Local Economic Strengthening. DOI: 10.5220/0009022304360440 In Proceedings of the Borneo International Conference on Education and Social Sciences (BICESS 2018), pages 436-440 ISBN: 978-989-758-470-1 Copyright c 2020 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved Sustainable Estate Management of Plantation and Local Economic Strengthening are first, the disruption of the hydrological function Fukuyama (1995) asserts that the family is an of peat, when the hydrological function of peat lands important source of social capital. is disturbed; the important role of peat in the water Thus the utilization of oil palm plantations to cycle is also disrupted. This can cause peat lands to strengthen the local economy can be pursued by dry up and ignite fires. Second is the disruption of strengthening social capital and community ecological functions. Peatland degradation can participation. The role of the family plays an threaten the existence of hundreds of species of trees important role to start land use. Strong social capital and animals. Furthermore, excessive burning of peat can help to reduce land use unsustainably. Land can lands can increase CO2 emissions. If the fire is be cultivated together and take turns without having frequent then the impacts are (1) changes in the to think about labor costs. All the owners of the physical quality of the peat along with the decrease garden together feel responsible for sustainably in moisture and porosity, (2) disruption of the cultivating the land. Furthermore, collective and decomposition process, (3) damage to the group cultivation of land becomes a collective hydrological cycle, (4) change in peat chemistry agreement to strengthen social and interdependent quality, (5) disruption of succession or population exchanges. The next social exchange is tied with development and composition of forest vegetation mutual trust and honesty. This will reduce negative thereby decreasing biodiversity and (6) global behavior towards land use. Group strength can warming. The third impact is socioeconomic loss, produce a large positive effect to strengthen where the loss includes (1) health problems, (2) community participation. economic loss, (3) disturbed community activity and Unfortunately, social capital is increasingly (4) causes death from respiratory problems. eroded, resulting in less community participation in The high demand for land and the large number developing and managing oil palm plantations in of people who rely on agriculture have an impact on some areas of West Kalimantan. Land use is further land occupancy, both peat land and forestry. The fueled by economic considerations without unsustainable land occupation technique is triggered considering environmental impacts. Some people by economic factors. Sustainable land clearing takes use land but they do not have consider insocial, a long time and costs are quite expensive. This health and environmental risks. Economic pressure causes some people who have no cost, preferring to and high dependence on land force some of them to burn land. The shrinking social attachment, mutual use less sustainable land. trust, cooperation and mutual cooperation lead to Another trigger for the cause of land occupancy higher social and economic costs. Social security is the government regulation that has not been able systems that should be inherent in culture are further to be implemented for the perpetrators of land undermined by modernization. The age of burners. Although Presidential Regulation No. 1 of modernization puts money as a tool of society. The 2016 has been issued concerning the Restoration attitude of cohesiveness, trust, reciprocity and Agency that is responsible for addressing peat land cooperation (Fukuyama 1999, Putnam, 2000), is issues. However, the regulation has not had much slowly declining. influence in overcoming the problem of occupation Indeed, to overcome social problems requires and public awareness. social cohesiveness and trust. Strong social The government needs to re-establish social cohesiveness and trust reinforce social solidarity and capital and develop natural resources. Strengthening community participation to deal collectively with the capacity of community-based communities with common obstacles and goals. This is where the social capital needs to be socialized to the importance of social capital must grow in community. One of the things that can be developed community communities as a strong social glue as an alternative economic source is the (Fukuyama 1995). Social capital can create mutual development of ecotourism through strengthening trust and enlarge social exchange and create community capacity (Damayanti et al, 2014). efficiency in many ways. Furthermore, the government needs to regenerate Another word that social capital must create is a local wisdom through community assistance and harmonious relationship between the perpetrators in capacity building. Prayogo (2016) says local order to maintain the relationship between the actors community knowledge that needs to be grown to the or the network (safety net) (Woolcock, 2001). community is (1) utilizing tidal movement for Heintzman (2001) says the strength of dialogue irrigation and drainage, (2) determination of crops conducted based on honesty plays a crucial role to planted around irrigation, (3) water conservation increase the wider value of public services. with tabat system, (4) land selection system (5) land 437 BICESS 2018 - Borneo International Conference On Education And Social preparation and land preparation systems, (6) land Regency. Each region has different characteristics. management